Europe and Japan sign infrastructure cooperation agreement to join forces to fight the Belt and Road

The EU and Japanese leaders signed an infrastructure cooperation agreement in Brussels today. In addition to demonstrating their support for multilateral tradeism, they also highlight the ambition of Europe and Japan to break through China’s “One Belt, One Road” leading cross-border cooperation. .

The EU issued the “Linked Eurasian Strategy” last year. Today, the European side holds the first EU-Asia Connectivity forum, which was opened by the European Commission’s Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, emphasizing the key strategies of the EU and Japan. Partnerships.

Rongke and Abe signed an agreement on the cooperation of Europe and Japan and quality infrastructure on the spot to jointly deepen cooperation in transportation, energy and digital projects linking Europe and Asia.

In his speech, Rong Ke said that connectivity is part of European DNA. Today, the world faces the same challenges. Whether it is climate, digital or technology, Europe is strengthening cooperation with other parts of the world, especially in democracy and respect for the rule of law. The partnership of freedom and human dignity with a common commitment, the relationship between Europe and Japan is the best proof.

Abe said that whether it is a road or a port, when the EU and Japan take action, they can establish a rule-based link from the Pacific to the Western Balkans and Africa. He also stressed that the sea route to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean must be open.

Europe and Japan agreed to promote open, fair, rule-based and sustainable regional and international trade and investment, and under the umbrella of trade protectionism, the United States has demonstrated its support for multilateral free trade.

The European Commission announced in 2018 the “Link to Eurasian Strategy”, which plans to comprehensively promote the links between Europe and Asia in the fields of transportation, digital, energy and personnel exchanges.

Although the EU denies the above-mentioned plan for China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, today some European media commented that the EU and Japan have signed an agreement with Japan, and it is clear that Brussels and Tokyo have demonstrated their ambition to break through the current “One Belt, One Road” initiative in China to lead cross-border cooperation.

Wu Rongyi, chairman of the Taiwanese business group headed by the European Union, was also interviewed after the meeting. He also believed that although the EU did not directly point out in the document, China promoted the “Belt and Road” plan in Central Asia, and EU member states It is suffering from China’s attempt to divide, so the EU takes action. Today, the focus of the forum is Asia, but the content emphasizes Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is obviously aimed at the “Belt and Road”.

Today’s attendees also include Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and Deputy Secretary of State for Internet and International Communications and Information Policy, Robert Strayer. Werner Hoyer, president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), and officials, experts and scholars from South Korea, China, Indonesia, etc., have about 30 speakers, and nearly 1,000 participants from more than 50 countries around the world attended.

Members of the Taiwanese corporate group include Jane and New, Chairman of the Taiwan Sustainable Energy Research Foundation, Liu Shizhong, Vice Chairman of the Foreign Trade Association, and He Chenhong, President of the National Tsinghua University.